Behind the Steel Curtain
Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph had just one pass hit the ground during his time on offense against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener Saturday.
The Steelers starter, Rudolph completed nine of 10 passes for 84 yards and one touchdown, tossing Pittsburgh’s first score of an eventual 31-25 victory. He played the first two drives of the game before Skylar Thompson took over at quarterback.
The preseason matchup marked Rudolph’s first action in a Steelers game since the 2023-24 playoffs.
After a one-off season with the Tennessee Titans in 2024, Rudolph returned to Pittsburgh in the 2025 offseason. Now, he’s expected to back up starter Aaron Rodgers in the upcoming regular season.
“Really cool, really fun,” Rudolph said of his return to the Steelers in a brief press conference following the game. “Good to be back in the black and gold, man. Just a lot of friends, a lot of dear friends and coaches that I’ve spent a lot of time with. And there’s just a level of comfortability there that you can’t really replace.”
Rudolph was drafted by the Steelers in 2019 in the third round, starting 13 games in his first stint with the team. In 2024, he went 3-0 as a regular season starter, leading the Steelers to a playoff spot with 719 passing yards, three touchdowns and 74.3% completion.
Recently 30 years old, Rudolph signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract this offseason with the Steelers.
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